A Hierarchy of Transcriptional Regulation

A hierarchy of transcriptional regulation. Using “black-figure” pottery painting on a vase, Garber et al. (pp. 810–822) describe the hierarchy of transcription regulation. As depicted on the vase, at the top of the hierarchy are the “Gods,” or pioneer transcription factors that regulate the epigenomic state of the cell. The second tier of “Olympians” is the primer transcription factors, which regulate, broadly, the cell transcription state. The bottom tier, the “Warriors,” represents transcription factors that regulate specific gene pathways (e.g., inflammation).